UCLA: The Latest Law School To Help Deferred Students (2024)

Just yesterday, we were able to report on Northwestern University School of Law taking the initiative to help deferred 3Ls. Today we’ve learned that UCLA is also stepping up to the plate.

UCLA School of Law announced its Transition to Practice LL.M. Program today. It will allow 3Ls to take an extra year of classes geared towards teaching them the skills and practices they would have learned as first-year associates. The school’s press release explains what students will be learning:

A core component of the Transition to Practice program will be capstone courses that will draw heavily on practice-oriented projects in addition to substantial research and written work. Capstone courses will include part-time externships within corporate legal departments, as well as clinical simulations, where students work with real legal problems in a controlled environment that permits reflection and generalization of lessons learned. The Transition to Practice program will also include a required workshop series designed to introduce students to the practical issues that confront new lawyers, ranging from how to define a work-product to understanding a client’s business and goals, and handling practical problems of ethics and confidentiality. Capstone classes will be taught both by the core faculty of the law school and prominent practicing lawyers. The law school expects to develop curriculum in conjunction with leading law firms and corporate legal departments and to draw on the expertise of the Los Angeles legal community.

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After the jump, Above the Law speaks with UCLA School of Law Dean Michael Schill.


We spoke with Dean Schill and he shared some additional thoughts on why this program is important right now:

The program was designed to focus on recent graduates of law schools who will have to defer or postpone their entry into legal practice. The program focuses on the types of legal skills that would be obtained in a first year law firm experience…. The LL.M. will also feature a required course on practical issues facing lawyers. We hope that this program will allow young lawyers, particularly deferred students, to enter legal practice with a running start.

According to Dean Schill, the idea was hatched in part by UCLA alumni who asked for the deadline for the LL.M. program to be extended so they could apply. The Dean reports that the response from the legal and corporate communities has been “tremendous.”

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We expect that the response from law firms will be tremendous as well. Listen to the glowing review of the idea from a partner at Latham:

“UCLA School of Law’s Transition to Practice program is an outstanding option for recent law school graduates, deferred hires and employers,” said James D. C. Barrall ’75, head of Latham & Watkins’s Global Benefits Compensation Group. “This unique training will replicate much of the experience of a new associate, which will allow recent graduates to hit the ground running when they start their jobs. Employers also gain new lawyers with practical legal training under their belt.”

We don’t know if UCLA’s program will qualify for the deferral stipend from firms that have tied the money to a public interest job. But it should. At this point, anything law schools can to do to relieve law firms of their promise to actually hire the people they offered jobs to is in the best interest of all involved.

Now that some top-tier law schools are taking extra steps to help deferred students, every law school is on notice that “career services” might require more than setting up OCI.

UCLA School of Law to Reopen LL.M. Program Application Process for 2009-10 Academic Year [UCLA School of Law]

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Earlier: Northwestern Law Gets ‘Proactive’

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UCLA: The Latest Law School To Help Deferred Students (2024)

FAQs

What LSAT score do you need for UCLA Law? ›

There is no “required” LSAT score to gain admission at UCLA Law, but higher scores can boost your application. Consider the LSAT score percentiles of incoming J.D. students: 25th percentile LSAT: 165. Median LSAT: 170.

How hard is UCLA Law to get into? ›

In 2022, the rate is 15.43 percent, UCLA School of Law is quite competitive. It's important to take note of a law school's annual variations in acceptance rate because such differences are not always from factors that are under the school or student's control. At times, a factor is external.

How prestigious is UCLA Law? ›

University of California--Los Angeles is ranked No. 13 out of 196 in Best Law Schools. Schools were assessed on their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.

Does UCLA have a part-time law school? ›

UCLA Law's J.D. program offers a three-year, full-time course of study. Evening, summer, and part-time programs are not offered.

How bad is a 147 LSAT score? ›

LSAT vs Bar Pass Rates
Risk BandLSAT ScoreLSAT Percentile
Low Risk153-15550.5 - 57.7
Modest Risk150-15239.5 - 46.7
High Risk147-14929.4 - 36.1
Very High Risk145-14623.6 - 26.3
2 more rows

How rare is 172 LSAT? ›

So, a great score on the LSAT is a 172, but more than 100,000 people take the LSAT every year and only 1% score 172 or higher. For the top 50 law schools, the median LSAT score is between 164 and 174. A good LSAT score for top tier(defined by T14 schools for this article) law schools is between 171 and 174.

What is the easiest law school to get into in California? ›

What are the Least Competitive Law Schools to Get Into In California? Golden Gate University and the California Western School of Law are the least competitive law schools to get into in California. Golden Gate University has an acceptance rate of 25.5% and a median LSAT score of 154.

What is the starting salary for UCLA Law? ›

UCLA Law is tied for #1 in terms of the median starting salary among graduates working in private practice as law firm associates ($180,000). UCLA Law is tied for #12 in terms of the median LSAT score (168) among those applicants granted admission who enrolled as full-time students.

What is the waitlist acceptance rate for UCLA Law? ›

Hello! While the waitlist acceptance rate can vary from year to year depending on a variety of factors, including the number of applicants and the size of the admitted class, I can provide you with some general insights. Historically, UCLA's waitlist acceptance rate has ranged from around 5% to 20%.

What type of law is UCLA known for? ›

UCLA Law is consistently recognized as the nation's premier school for entertainment and media law.

What is the pass rate for UCLA law school? ›

88.4% of UCLA Law graduates who took the July 2023 California Bar Exam for the first time passed the examination. The statewide average bar passage rate for first-time test takers who graduated from ABA-approved law schools in California was 76.3%.

What is the UCLA Law class 2025? ›

The Class of 2025 arrives with the best academic credentials in UCLA Law history. Members of the class have a median LSAT score of 171 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.90. Both are the highest ever for an incoming class at UCLA Law.

What is the average age for UCLA Law? ›

The average age of class members is 24. Their median college GPA of 3.79 is tied for the highest in UCLA Law history, and their median LSAT score of 168 maintains the record high that was set a year ago. The 25th percentile GPA is 3.51, and the 75th percentile is 3.89.

Does UCLA Law give merit scholarships? ›

UCLA Law has a generous need component, providing significant assistance to domestic students with financial need. Each case is individually considered, but a student who qualifies for a Dean's Scholarship, based on both merit and need, will generally receive a larger total gift award.

Can I get into UCLA with a 168 LSAT? ›

At UCLA, the “middle half” of the latest entering class has GPAs ranging from 3.57–3.92 and LSAT scores ranging from 166–171. Your GPA is close to the bottom of the third quartile for admitted students. Your LSAT score is at the top of the fourth quartile for admitted students.

Is a 170 hard to get on the LSAT? ›

Any score above a 160 is considered a great score, and any score above a 170 would be considered an EXCELLENT score, within the 98th percentile of all people who took the test, meaning that you were better than 98 PERCENT OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO TOOK THAT SAME EXAM.

How rare is a 170 LSAT? ›

170 score: Scoring a 170 on the LSAT is almost always considered a good score — that means you are in the 2-3% of test-takers.

Can 145 LSAT score get you into law school? ›

A 144-145 is generally considered to be the lowest acceptable score to attend law school. The median LSAT score is around 151-152, so 144-145 is significantly lower than this. As such, the majority of law schools will not accept scores below this.

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